Beatrix Potter Sculpture | Marcus Crocker

I was commissioned by Penguin Random House publishers to create 6 miniature sculptures of Beatrix Potter's best-loved characters. Each character comes with a modern makeover as a celebration of the 150th Anniversary since the author's birth.

The sculptures were carefully crafted to ensure continuity with not only the characters' own personality traits, but in some cases those of their original creator, in contemporary and surprising ways.

I then placed and photographed these sculptures around London...

Beatrix Potter 21st Century Tales - Peter Rabbit™

Notorious mischief maker Peter Rabbit™ has been given a selfie stick, to record his adventures on a visit to London. By gathering images of his trip – including those taken at tourist hotspot the London Eye to share with family and friends – he reflects Beatrix Potter’s trait as a storyteller.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Context shot

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Mr. Jeremy Fisher™

Accident-prone Jeremy is captured making a return to his favourite pastime – fishing for minnows – in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament, whilst also indulging in a listen some of his favourite music and audiobooks via his on-trend headphones.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Context shot

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Mrs. Tittlemouse™

The smallest of all the characters, terribly tidy Mrs Tittlemouse reflects Beatrix the botanist, using a leaf blower on the entrance to her home in Chelsea’s Bolton Gardens, near to the site of Beatrix’s London home.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Context shot

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Jemima Puddle-Duck™

Naïve Jemima, who almost met her end at the hands of the villainous Foxy Whiskered Gentleman, gets her revenge by purchasing a (faux) fox fur coat in Bond Street.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Context shot

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Squirrel Nutkin™

Peace-loving but bad-mannered Squirrel Nutkin makes his feelings on red-grey squirrel relations known in the notorious grey squirrel hotbed of St. James’ Park, in a nod to Beatrix the conservationist.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle™

Honouring Beatrix the businesswoman, enterprising washerwoman Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is depicted running her own launderette in the City.

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Context shot

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Peter Rabbit™ - Selfies

Here are some of Peter Rabbit's favourite selfies from his trip around London

Photographs: Marcus Crocker

Street Sculptures - British Red Cross Refugee Week

This project was planned in collaboration with the British Red Cross for Refugee week, with the aim of highlighting the positive contributions refugees have made to British history and culture. We have focused on various iconic figures, each with their own refugee origins:

Sculpture of Sir John Houblon- the first governor of the Bank of England. Houblon was the grandson of a Huguenot refugee.Photograph: Matthew Percival

Huguenot

Photograph: Matthew Percival

British Red Cross

Sculpture depicting Syrian Refugees and a Red Cross worker- intended to highlight the support given by the Red Cross to those facing destitution and crisis.Photograph: Matthew Percival

Street Sculptures Part VI - Winter Warmer

The sixth part in the series- 'Winter Warmer' shows the resilience of the human spirit against a harsh urban environment as two homeless friends gather around an outdoor fire in Winter- their eyes and weathered faces glinting from the flames. The result is aimed at highlighting some of the struggles faced by the homeless, particularly in Winter.I wanted to do something a bit different to my previous sculptures so decided to include a real fire when shooting the photographs, which I feel creates a more life-like, dynamic viewing experience.

Winter Warmer

All photographs by Marcus Crocker

Street Sculptures Part V - End of The Road

The fifth part in the series- 'End of the Road' is intended as a stomach-churning portrait of alcoholism.

End of the road

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Photograph: Marcus Crocker

Street Sculptures Part IV- A Blunt Message

The fourth sculpture in the series, 'A Blunt Message' attempts to use the shock factor that has often been effective in Communications against the dangers of substance abuse. The appearance and placement of this sculpture tries to highlight the dire situation that heroin addicts can end up in: The drug often becomes the main focus of their lives, with addicts regularly ending up living on the streets or forced into the sex trade to pay for the habit. These aspects are coupled with the risks of overdose or contraction/transmission of blood-borne diseases like HIV or Hepatitis from unsanitary conditions and/or sharing needles.

A Blunt Message

Street Sculptures Part III- The Temptation of Anthony

The third piece in my range of miniature London street sculptures. 'The temptation of Anthony' aims to show a portrayal of the relentless gluttony of a character consumed by his habitual fast food lifestyle as he lounges on a worn-out sofa, half naked and covered in chicken fat. Nonetheless he sits defiantly on his throne to await his fate.

The Temptation of Anthony

Street Sculptures Part II - The Big Smoke

'The Big Smoke'- The second piece in my range of miniature London street sculptures. In a similar vein to part III ('The Temptation of Anthony'), this sculpture attempts to highlight the lifestyle choices some people make and how it can both affect oneself and vicariously affect others. In this case the combination of pregnancy and smoking- and the way in which a tobacco addiction becomes a much greater problem when a baby is on the way was the inspiration behind the sculpture (although I tried to retain an element of humour with the use of a Vicky Pollard-esque character).

The Big Smoke

Street Sculptures Part I

My first in a series of miniature clay street sculptures I have made and placed around central London. The First two photographs were done as a concept for Etch Hype clothing label (www.etchhype.com), but the words being pasted in the message on the wall are ideally interchangeable in different versions of this image.

The colour of these sculptures has been kept to a minimum (black and white) as I wanted their real impact to come from other factors such as their surroundings- (where they have been placed and what they are looking at/interacting with).